Means for reducing the resistance to the passage of vehicles in fluids.



L'. GONSTANTIN.

MEANS FOR REDUCING THE RESISTANCE TO THE PASSAGE 0F VEHICLES IN FLUIDS.

' APPLIOATIOR IILED MAB..18, 1912@ 1,065,506,, Patented June 24, 1913.

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, animation flledlarch 15,1912. Serial No. 654,585.

. Ta-all-whom it-may-eoncern: Be itlmown that L-Iwms Gonsmn'rm, a citizen of the Republic --of Francs-residing at -23--Rue de Villejust, Paris, France, have;

invented certain new and useful Imprbveq merits in Means for Reducing the Resistance? to the Passage. of Vehicles in Fluids, -o'fi which the followingis (t-specification. '1

It is known that the resistance--to"movement of vehicles in "wateror in air-can bei reduced by giving-a fine formation to'theirf fore -bodies. ThlS arrangement whether it; be applied to ships'or to terrestrial or aerial "vehicles comprises between *the front ridge -or'extrem e :pointof penetration of the vehicle and its body portion a connection con-1 'stituted by inclined walls or surfaces without any break. The bows formed are necesthe body bows with fine lines integral with" The present invention has for its object in the first place to permit of constructing very compact vehicles, that is to say vehicles with a high specific carrying capacity but such that owing to the provision of special supplementary bows its weight and bulk are relatively small and the resistance to penetrating fluids inconsiderable; in the second place the invention aims at reducing the resistance to penetrating fluids in the case of existing vehicles without con-- siderably increasing their weight and without necessitating a too radical transformation.

This invention is based upon the fact that the fluid streams thrown off laterally by a body in movement continue to be deflected fora certain distance after they are out ofcontact with the said body and that they cause the strata of fluid that they encounter to participate in this deflect-ion. If a screen of appropriate section less than that of the midship frame be available at an appropriate distance in front of a vehicle the streamsof fluid thrown off by this screen.

will cause other streams to bedeflected away from the path'of the vehicle which without thlsscreen would have encountered the vehlcle in opposing resistance to 1t". It fol Tows thatthe said vehicle willno longer have to overcome the resistance corresponding to acolumn of fluid of the same-section as its midship frame but only the resistance corresponding to a column'of-fluidof the same section as the screen. Accordingly there will be a diminution of the resistance. It

will increase in p'roportionas the resistance of the screen itself to the advance is less,- provided of course that the :power of lateral deflection of the screen is not diminished. This result will be obtained by constituting the walls of the screen by a dihedral ridge angle horizontal or vertical according to will also be understood that thisdiminution circumstances or by an a propriate cone. A I

very marked amount 0 power of lateral defiectioncan also be obtained if the screen instead of being'constituted by a single continuous surface consists of a series of juxtaposed plates preferably curved in profile, in such a manner as to avoid excessively sud- -den shocks and deviations which invariably entail loss of energy. Furthermore, with this arrangement the resistance to the advance will be reduced owing to the fact that the pressure exerted by the fluid upon the front face of; the plates will be partly compensated for by the pressure exerted by it upon the rear face.

Some embodlments of the invention are diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure 1 represents a discoid s'creen fixed in front of a vehicle. Fig.2 represents the front of a vehicle provided with a conical screen. Figs. 3 and 4 show in side and front elevation respectively plates arranged parallel in such a manner as to constitute lamellar bows. Fig. 5 represents .to a smallei; scale the front of a vehicle provided with lamellar bows the plates of which are arranged on either side of a median ridge. Fig. 6 represents the front of a vehicle provided with conical lamellar bows; represented in vertical section. V

In these figures a represents the front of a vehicle of any kind lntended to travel on the bows are formed are marked 6 b and b and in Figs. 5 and 6 d represents the attachments which connect the plates onewith the other. With bows formed of a single series of parallel plates arranged as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the fluid can only be deviated ina single direction which can be varied by altering the position of the bows. The bows shown in Fig. 5 are intended to deflect the fluid either on both sides or above and below a vehicle according tothe position im arted to them relatively to the latter. ith conical bows like those represented in Fig. 6 the fluid is deflected all around the vehicle.

The form and arrangement of the plates may be varied within wide limits Without departing from the principle of the invention.

"What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In combination with a vehicle, bows of smaller section than that of the vehicle, constituted by several inclined walls parallel one with the other and separated one from the other by a vacant space, the attachments connecting these walls one with the other and a support of smaller section than that of the'bows fixed in front of thevehicle in line with its longitudinal axis and connecting the bows with the vehicle.

2. In combination with a vehicle, bows of smaller section than that of the vehicle formed by several inclined curved walls parallel one'with the other and separated one from the other by a vacant space, at-' smaller section than that of the bows fixed in front of the vehicle in line with its longitudinal axis and connecting the bows with the vehicle. I

4.1111 combination with a vehicle, bows of smaller section than that of the vehicle presenting a ridge and on either side thereof a number of inclined curved walls parallel one with the other and separated one from the other by a vacant space, attachments connecting the Walls one with the other and a support of smaller section than that of the bows fixed in front of the vehicle in line with its longitudinal axis and connecting the bows with the vehicle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS CONSTAN'IIN.

Witnesses ADOLPHE VOGEL, N. V. HIEPATRIM. 

